Teachers Service Commission Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nancy Macharia has said the commission will employ 20,000 more teachers in the next financial year to cater for the current deficit in the education sector. According to her, more than 36,000 teachers are also set to be promoted this year.
“As a commission, we continue reviewing our systems and starving levels at both primary and post-primary levels to ensure that teachers are equitably distributed in institutions across the country as we prepare our students to sit the final exams,” Macharia said while speaking at Moi Girls Eldoret during the release of the 2023 KCSE results on Monday.
She also noted that the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in primary and junior high schools has shaken up the resource and staffing levels. Speaking at the same event, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu added that, apart from the addition of teachers, the state will release KES 12.8 billion to construct new classrooms.
The commission CEO also said the number of classes at the primary school level has decreased by two. Consequently, the teacher requirement for primary schools has also been significantly reduced, leading to an excess of 18,194 staff.
“The commission will distribute teachers to schools to ensure all institutions are balanced. The additional one class in Grade 8 in 2024has created a staffing shortage of 117 at this level,” she said.
Macharia noted the number of teachers required this year in junior high school is 99,045, compared to the current number of 56,928. She said the government will fund the commission for the recruitment of the teachers until optimum levels are achieved.
“In recognition of the good work by our teachers, the commission has been funded and is in the process of promoting 36,505 teachers to the different grades. Of these vacancies, 17,914 will be filled by primary school teachers, while 18,591 belong to post-primary,” Macharia said.
It was also announced that the registration for the Kenya Primary School Education Assement (KPSEA) and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) 2024 candidates will take two months, from January 29 to March 2024.
